tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post3211759396107902416..comments2016-12-09T10:03:54.899-06:00Comments on Althouse: "What is the true cost of the premier transportation project of the administration of Gov. Bill Richardson? "Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-50096876458453369852011-07-11T20:29:05.340-05:002011-07-11T20:29:05.340-05:00I&#39;m especially worried about the people making...I&#39;m especially worried about the people making minimum wage to $16 an hour or so...they will get taxed onto the trains...or off the roads...Seattle already tries to tax them onto the buses all the time already and the buses operate at a loss<br /><br />Instead of solving the problems Seattle has...too many drivers, not enough roads, high population growth...<br /><br />...another hare-brained costly green scheme emerges. It can never, never be about just getting people from one place to another, but always about the common good, social programs, environmentalism and the &quot;general will&quot; and all the folks with their dirty hands in the general money pot.<br /><br />Over-budget, lacking in basic economic sense...<br /><br />...that&#39;s when you know you&#39;re in a nest of Lefties.chr1http://chrisnavin.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-21861717616479123672011-07-11T16:07:40.061-05:002011-07-11T16:07:40.061-05:00A railroad from Belen to Santa Fe?
What imbecile ...A railroad from Belen to Santa Fe?<br /><br /><i>What imbecile ever thought that would make sense</i>?<br /><br />There&#39;s already a perfectly good Interstate (I-25) there.<br /><br />Want public transit? <i>Buy some god-damn busses</i>.<br /><br />(That half a billion in highway funds Hagar mentioned would probably buy a lot of nice maintenance and upgrades on I-25...)Sigivaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16152366541957466049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-50361448072101170032011-07-11T14:28:55.515-05:002011-07-11T14:28:55.515-05:00For some reason the cost of using an automobile do...For some reason the cost of using an automobile does not go down if one is &gt;= 62, or if one has a student ID, or a disability notification from the DMV.<br /><br />Obviously there should be a government program to fix this! <br /><br />Aside from that, the problem with trains- high-speed and otherwise- is that they seldom go from where you are to where you want to go.<br /><br />And so, a train trip is almost always at least a 3-seat journey: a trip to the train station, the train trip itself, and another trip from the train station to your destination.<br /><br />IMHO this is the central problem of all public transportation but particularly of trans, because of the high capital cost.<br /><br />As they say, train tracks are narrow but Texas is wide.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16099940931064117337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35374737437683750602011-07-11T13:23:07.082-05:002011-07-11T13:23:07.082-05:00Prof, I&#39;m not defending the trains; I think th...<i>Prof, I&#39;m not defending the trains; I think they could charge a higher price to achieve higher profits. Yes it does increase overall travel time and it may not be effective for destinations more than a mile from the depot, but for departures, a bit longer drive to a parking lot is feasible. Obviously it won&#39;t work for everyone, but even if my total travel time is increased, I would likely gain some productive time.<br /><br />As we can see from this report, those managing the trains have not done a good job estimating its value and costs. Reading the FAQ at the fare link showed a lot of defensiveness about all the issues they&#39;re having. It doesn&#39;t seem like this was well thought out.</i><br /><br /><br />Can you name one public transit system in the U.S. that operates at a profit?Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567899161777565306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-55194257921928155992011-07-11T13:09:16.813-05:002011-07-11T13:09:16.813-05:00I have nothing against some subsidies for mass tra...I have nothing against some subsidies for mass transport if it makes sense. The RailRunner makes no sense at all. It was a vanity project to transport state workers from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. I saw it first hand last May in Santa Fe, stuck in traffic while this big clunky diesel train crossed a busy road.Sheepmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04763282445910603419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2774973081402889662011-07-11T11:57:56.993-05:002011-07-11T11:57:56.993-05:00The trains are low speed 1800s technology.
The u...The trains are low speed 1800s technology. <br /><br />The use of the phrase &quot;Bullet Trains&quot; is to excite the imaginations of the weak minded.<br /><br />The ONLY reason the Federal Government makes &quot;Grants to States &quot; is for control. <br /><br />This control is accepted by Dem thieves in States that them spend it on friend&#39;s land and professional services.<br /><br />No wonder the politicians love railroads. The kickbacks to them are immediate and huge.traditionalguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-29128019892794368162011-07-11T11:13:48.092-05:002011-07-11T11:13:48.092-05:00The word &quot;interstate&quot; does not belong; i...The word &quot;interstate&quot; does not belong; it is an error for &quot;intrastate.&quot; There are no plans to extend the RailRunner in any direction to more than 100 miles from Santa Fe.<br /><br />And the RailRunner exists to serve Santa Fe (4th largest city- pop. ~76,000), not Albuquerque.Hagarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03653025261513705773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1431868948062055182011-07-11T11:08:44.480-05:002011-07-11T11:08:44.480-05:00Seattle is more linear. Mass transit makes more s...Seattle is more linear. Mass transit makes more sense in a heavily populated area where many many people live, work, shop, entertain, etc at locations along a north-south (or east west, or nw-SE) orientation.Chuck66http://www.blogger.com/profile/15834146425393263098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-11392868886002164782011-07-11T11:06:19.627-05:002011-07-11T11:06:19.627-05:00Seattle is more linear. Mass transit makes more s...Seattle is more linear. Mass transit makes more sense in a heavily populated area where many many people live, work, shop, entertain, etc at locations along a north-south (or east west, or nw-SE) orientation.Chuck66http://www.blogger.com/profile/15834146425393263098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40658542585974750862011-07-11T11:02:37.167-05:002011-07-11T11:02:37.167-05:00One of the stories out there is that Bill Richards...One of the stories out there is that Bill Richardson bypassed the usual Fed&#39;l gov&#39;t approval process and therefore cash, to rush and get this built. He did it because he had planned to run for President and wanted this project to show what he can do.<br /><br />Turns our the Fed&#39;l gov&#39;t would have denied funding anyway (or so the story goes) as ridership adn farebox recovery were projected to be.....what they turned out to be.Chuck66http://www.blogger.com/profile/15834146425393263098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-80661123118155562322011-07-11T10:59:40.659-05:002011-07-11T10:59:40.659-05:00Will, I am a right winger who supports mass transi...Will, I am a right winger who supports mass transit. And there are some differences in population.<br /><br />Greater Chicago....say 4,000,000<br />Milwaukee metro......1,000,000<br />Madison........250,000<br />Throw in Watertown, Oconomowoc, Brookfield.<br /><br />While Bill R&#39;s railroad only serves<br />Albequrque metro......800,000Chuck66http://www.blogger.com/profile/15834146425393263098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40236510177702421462011-07-11T10:20:49.215-05:002011-07-11T10:20:49.215-05:00Kylos,
You&#39;re talking about just the farebox ...Kylos,<br /><br />You&#39;re talking about just the farebox right? What about ongoing operating subsidies? Surely this rail project, like virtually every other piece of mass transit today, has plenty of subsidies too?<br /><br />And r-v, surely you understand that your trip on the light is highly, highly subsidized?Kirk Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921711310191924997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-68743313744247453482011-07-11T10:19:09.197-05:002011-07-11T10:19:09.197-05:00Maguro I do not pay the true costs for gas/automob...Maguro I do not pay the true costs for gas/automobile travel either so what is the point?roesch-voltairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802616989806761662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30395187426686837242011-07-11T09:57:41.102-05:002011-07-11T09:57:41.102-05:00Achieve higher profits? None of these trains make...Achieve higher profits? None of these trains make ANY profit. At best you might mitigate the massive losses somewhat.<br /><br />These projects are never &quot;well thought out&quot;...well, actually they are. They start with a bunch of bullshit lies and estimates to get them started. Then they go into the &quot;doesn&#39;t matter what they cost, because they are NEEDED&quot;.<br /><br />You are a babe in the woods.Curious Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440726941494085334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69216965989997101702011-07-11T09:51:54.865-05:002011-07-11T09:51:54.865-05:00&quot;The Crack Emcee said...
Very *rational*&quot...&quot;The Crack Emcee said...<br />Very *rational*&quot;<br /><br />It&#39;s coolly...soberly...rational sir!Curious Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440726941494085334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-5734712967853277262011-07-11T09:42:59.894-05:002011-07-11T09:42:59.894-05:00I saved time and money and did not have to impose ...<i>I saved time and money and did not have to impose on anybody to drive through the LA congestion of Seattle</i>.<br /><br />It only saves you money because you&#39;re not paying the true cost of your ride. You&#39;re just imposing on the taxpayers of Washington state instead of imposing on your own friends.Magurohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10174899673368042634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-83906742835203446252011-07-11T09:37:11.281-05:002011-07-11T09:37:11.281-05:00Mass transit goes, especially rail, along part and...Mass transit goes, especially rail, along part and parcel with all things Green and has been an article of faith among the Demos since Carter. <br /><br />Notice how well it&#39;s worked.edutcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15033144261502435196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-373388948981427372011-07-11T09:27:09.515-05:002011-07-11T09:27:09.515-05:00Prof, I&#39;m not defending the trains; I think th...Prof, I&#39;m not defending the trains; I think they could charge a higher price to achieve higher profits. Yes it does increase overall travel time and it may not be effective for destinations more than a mile from the depot, but for departures, a bit longer drive to a parking lot is feasible. Obviously it won&#39;t work for everyone, but even if my total travel time is increased, I would likely gain some productive time. <br /><br />As we can see from this report, those managing the trains have not done a good job estimating its value and costs. Reading the FAQ at the fare link showed a lot of defensiveness about all the issues they&#39;re having. It doesn&#39;t seem like this was well thought out.Kyloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04209978297037782885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47668601714069357502011-07-11T09:23:19.942-05:002011-07-11T09:23:19.942-05:00t is projected to not be paid for until 2038, with...<i>t is projected to not be paid for until 2038, with costs increasing per household yearly.-It&#39;s 2 billion over budget now and growing </i><br /><br />But its clean!Phil 3:14http://www.blogger.com/profile/04133300763922742206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25544305345850815192011-07-11T09:23:14.649-05:002011-07-11T09:23:14.649-05:00Clypso this was my forth visit to Seattle and I ne...Clypso this was my forth visit to Seattle and I never found the express bus useful and so in the past hired the shuttle services or had friends drive. I saved time and money and did not have to impose on anybody to drive through the LA congestion of Seattle. Simply put, I am not willing to write off all light rail, but do want better planning on which points to connect.roesch-voltairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802616989806761662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3800857212485370652011-07-11T09:21:56.698-05:002011-07-11T09:21:56.698-05:00That&#39;s how Scott Walker got my vote.
Ahh,..so...<i>That&#39;s how Scott Walker got my vote.</i><br /><br />Ahh,..so you voted for one guy to <a href="http://www.themachoresponse.com/crackMC/wordpress/?p=3184" rel="nofollow">start the boondoggles,</a> and then you&#39;ll vote for other guys to end those boondoggles. Which means you&#39;re really voting to waste gobs of our money between making those two choices. <br /><br />Very *rational*<br /><br />Jesus, why didn&#39;t I finish college,...?The Crack Emceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08366101526773588864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-5241906888810522342011-07-11T09:17:50.956-05:002011-07-11T09:17:50.956-05:00Pure evil.Pure evil.Phil 3:14http://www.blogger.com/profile/04133300763922742206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26221473074508816672011-07-11T09:17:45.390-05:002011-07-11T09:17:45.390-05:00I live in Seattle and the ridership isn&#39;t ther...I live in Seattle and the ridership isn&#39;t there, but thank you for observing the optimism. It is projected to not be paid for until 2038, with costs increasing per household yearly.<br /><br />It&#39;s 2 billion over budget now and growing (which some promised wouldn&#39;t happen). 92% of the revenue will come from households taxes and taxes on businesses deferred to customers. The people, comrade, the people.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the worn, North Korea-like 1960&#39;s monorail runs 1 mile between the space needle and eastlake center. It operates at a profit, but mostly because of its tourist value and the fact that it&#39;s run by a private company.<br /><br />I could be proven wrong, but I doubt it.chr1http://chrisnavin.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-84159139032097547912011-07-11T09:13:02.686-05:002011-07-11T09:13:02.686-05:00Not sure what that word &quot;interstate&quot; is ...Not sure what that word &quot;interstate&quot; is doing there. Unless the real plan is to burn even more money and extend the useless thing to El Paso, just like the real plan in Wisconsin was to burn even more money and extend the useless thing to Minneapolis.Paul Zrimsekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12608337901905914575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-68986887504201199602011-07-11T09:05:37.213-05:002011-07-11T09:05:37.213-05:00Seattle is only slightly less screwed up than Madi...Seattle is only slightly less screwed up than Madison. To cover the costs of taxpayer support for their sports stadiums they hit the tourists with all kinds of taxes--I used to visit seattle from eastern washington on a regular basis--I stopped visting after the city mamas/poppas/and mos decided to screw the tourists.Roger J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12639676792043324100noreply@blogger.com